Chivas Regal: London’s ICON

Asian Wealth Mag takes a trip to three of London’s most opulent bars to enjoy Chivas Regal The Icon in style.

Readers may recall that last year AWM was given exclusive access and a first taste of the pinnacle of Chivas Regal’s range, The Icon.

The Icon is the culmination of craftsmanship and tradition brought to life by Master Blender Colin Scott, fusing years of blending experience and bringing together some of the rarest and oldest whiskies available to Chivas Regal.

This blend takes its whiskies from more than 20 distilleries across Scotland, including Strathisla, Longmorn and Glen Keith, as well as other, more rare whiskies from distilleries now lost forever.

As we reported, we were quite literally stunned by the presentation – you can’t put a blend of such status in just any bottle can you? Of course not! So, the experts at Chivas decided The Icon warranted being presented in a hand-blown decanter created by the glass blowing artisans at Dartington Crystal. With precision crafted metalwork and sublime green glassware – a nod to the original green Chivas Regal bottle that first captured the world’s attention back in 1909.

So being a privileged bunch here at AWM, and having been lucky enough to taste The Icon when it launched, we pondered where one might be able to enjoy such beauty on the palette, and on the eye, while out in London.

Creating a whisky as luxurious as Chivas Regal The Icon could easily be the end of the story, but not for the perfectionists at Chivas. With a price tag per dram well into three figures, enjoying that dram (or two) in style is important. So, Chivas Regal offered three of London’s most iconic bars the ultimate collaboration. Each venue could design their own glass, visiting and working with the expert glassblowers at Dartington Crystal in Devon to oversee the creation of their bespoke crystal tumblers. Homage indeed to both The Icon and the iconic venue.

Welcome to the ‘Icons of Luxury’. Three of the best bars in London where you can enjoy this spectacular and very rare whisky…

The ARTS CLUB

The Arts Club in Mayfair has been the home of a private members’ club since 1896 and had luminaries such as Dickens and Rodin cross its threshold. Relaunched about six years ago to much fanfare, with Gwyneth Paltrow as head of membership, if you can get in this place it is a fabulous place to enjoy The Icon surrounded by rich history in the heart of Mayfair.

CITY SOCIAL

Now, if you had to judge a place by its location, Jason Atherton’s City Social, situated on the 24th floor of Tower 42 in the heart of the City certainly delivers in terms of its iconic views of London and beyond. A forensic view of the Gherkin, with the Shard looking on resplendent, we think this is probably one of the greatest bar/restaurants in which to enjoy The Icon, vertigo aside.

Moody dark wood tables and leather booths, with large light- guzzling windows, we certainly enjoyed being sun drenched while sipping a post-lunch dram of The Icon in their bespoke glass.

SCARFES BAR

Now here are two really special places in one, which AWM has great pleasure to lift the lid on – the deliciously gorgeous and decadent Rosewood Hotel in Holborn within which is the indulgent, and very British, Scarfes Bar (blink and you’ll miss it as you walk through the imposing arch to the reception).

Named after, and brought to life by iconic political cartoonist Gerald Scarfe, who worked for The Sunday Times and The New York Times and whose famous caricatures adorn the walls and watch longingly over you as you enjoy a dram or two. Scarfes bar boasts 200 whiskies of which Chivas Regal The Icon proudly features.

Located a short walk from Dalston Kingland station, nestled among a parade of similarly chic restaurants, is family owned Angelina restaurant, serving an exciting exploration of Japanese and Italian cuisine We. MORE